Donato Y Estefano - Mi Dios Y Mi Cruz

Somehow this song seems familiar to me...I'm pretty sure it comes from one of the many telenovelas I used to watch with my grandma..precious times.

Such a nice song...with words that bring back indescribable feelings.

Será que el tiempo tiene mil estaciones y un rincón donde se guardan esas pequeñas cosas del amor...y la melancolía se vuelve poesía...cuando me acuerdo de ti...

Change is the only constant

Featured on yesterday's season premiere of Grey's Anatomy...yeahhhhhh

"When we say things like "people don't change" it drives scientists crazy because change is literally the only constant in all of science. Energy. Matter. It's always changing, morphing, merging, growing, dying. It's the way people try not to change that's unnatural. The way we cling to what things were instead of letting things be what they are. The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones. The way we insist on believing despite every scientific indication that anything in this lifetime is permanent. Change is constant. How we experience change that's up to us. It can feel like death or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again."

Words with an expiry date

I've been going through some old boxes and drawers lately, rummaging those deep corners that haven't seen daylight in years. It's amazing how many things we tend to keep over the years. Among the seemingly trivial things I pulled out are old cards, CDs, gifts (some unused), notes and letters that belong to what feels like another era. Cards and letters that bring back memories of young, happy, exciting, troubled, heart-wrenching times. Looking back, those words spoke of emotions that wanted to last forever, be it friendship, admiration, love or separation.

Today, they are merely expired words. Once meaningful, they are now but empty words on aging paper...or proof that one always moves forward...wading through and out of emotional turmoils of all kinds, and unless one were to stumble upon old written words, some memories are stuck in time, as they should be. Reading them again will trigger feelings that are sometimes mistaken as grief, sadness, regret even. But I believe it's actually a trick of the mind. Our memory briefly relives the emotions we felt when we first read those words.

And briefly, very briefly, we lose ourselves in time, right where the memories dwell. And what we feel can be compared to a ghost of feelings, nothing but remains of what was left behind. Because little did we know then that those words came with an expiry date. Past this, they lose all meaning and cannot touch anymore.

Holding us back

Now that I'm done with my Grey's Anatomy marathon, I'm really enjoying the soundtrack.

I've always loved how this show is a platform for debuting, young artists to showcase their talents.

Featured in the season finale, this is Holding Us Back by Katie Herzig. There's something quite powerfully moving about this melody, dark, sad but still hopeful.

World Cup fever

Tomorrow, the world comes together and for 10 days, the fever will run high.
I wish I were back home in our living room, with my parents and bro, watching the games and having a Phoenix beer with my paps. I remember how we rooted for Italy in the 1994 finals and how disappointed my dad was when Roberto Baggio (whom I had a crush on lol) missed his penalty kick. And the 1998 finals when we were on the edge of our seats for France.

Looking forward to watching as many matches as possible, despite the frustrating time difference.

Go ENGLAND, go Brazil, go France! (in decreasing order) :)

A blast from the past

Here's how the phrase dictionary defines it:

"Something or someone that returns after a period of obscurity or absence. It is normally applied to things that that were thought fondly of previously and are making a welcome return - particularly pop songs."

The context where I would specifically use it:

Someone from your past reappears in your life, recurringly or not, usually after 5-6 months of no news, when you least expect it. Could come from a text message, an e-mail or a phone call, which leaves you indecisive, unsure how to respond. That person usually appears in your life again when you're at the top of your game...when you're in control. As if that person had a radar that captures signs of well-being and happiness and was determined to mess it all up by creating confusion and playing mind games. Just because of one too many drinks. Go figure...

So "a blast from the past" should be used with a negative connotation and not for things or persons remembered fondly because a "blast" is that: something forceful and unanticipated, something potentially destructive.

We are the earthlings. Make the connection.

After watching this documentary that was passed on to me by someone who "sees it feelingly", I just have to share it back, with as many people as possible. This animal documentary is about society's dependence on animals for food, clothes, entertainment, pets and medical research. I don't have much to say, can't really, for I'm still reeling from the aftermath.

Warning: Scenes of violence and torture. :(

Here is quote from the documentary:

"We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate for having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err. And greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with the extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings: they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth."

Ça m'énerve

We've had many a great night at Rouge but tonight it just didn't do it. It was rainy and cold and we got there past midnight (12:05 to be exact). The two bouncers asked us if we had reservations and we said no. We didn't. "Sorry, it's packed tonight". "Even if we line up?" "Yeah, sorry". We've never been turned down at Rouge. Ca m'enerve.

As we go into Juliette et Chocolat to devise a new plan because our girls' night out is about to be cut short even before it began, I text my friend, Tracy, who's already in and she gives us their guestlist. phew. By now, the line-up has reached Saint-Laurent, despite their being packed...yeah right. Ca m'enerve.
I suggest we go through the other entrance, the exit rather, that people use when they go for a smoke. The bouncer let us in without hesitation. Va comprendre.

Anyway, happy to get in, we make our way to the second floor, only to find the place is packed and although it was not even half past midnight, most people were already drunk. Ca m'enerve. It's a sport trying to find a spot to dance although can you really call it dancing when you're in fact trying to avoid being elbowed or getting your toes stepped on, or even, avoiding the occasional wild hair about your arms and back (from the drunk girl behind me who seems to have lost control of her own limbs). Ca m'enerrrve.

If that's not enough to get you in a pissy mood, that drunk dude had to spill his beer all over the place. Ca m'enerve!
When asked why I wasn't dancing, I replied that I was tired. This is what I got in return: "Tu es jeune. Tu n'as pas le droit d'etre fatiguee." Well, I guess I better be young and tired leaning against a wall in the club than "too young" and "lining up for clubs every weekend in strapless bandage dresses and no jackets on St-Laurent", and not remembering a second of it all the next day. Every weekend. Ca m'enerve tout ca.

No one sums up the night better than Helmut Fritz. Enjoy! :)

My favourite SATC quotes

This may not be the deepest post I've written but hey, I'm a girl and what girl doesn't love Carrie Bradshaw or find herself at some point or another, in a situation she has been through. Constantly delving into her female psyche in an attempt to understand the works of relationships, be it love or friendship.



"Men cheat for the same reason that dogs lick their balls....because they can." - Samantha

(History has shown that it's true. Why and how cheaters get away with it and even manage to reproduce is a big ?! Is love really all that blind...especially when it comes to infidelities? It would seem so.)



"Maybe some women aren't meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free til they find someone just as wild to run with them." - Carrie


"Maybe the past is like an anchor holding us back. Maybe, you have to let go of who you are to become who you will be." - Carrie
(The past also makes us who we are. Sometimes we learn things the hard way, sometimes we're not proud of certain things. You can't change the past but it gives you endless possibilities as to how you want the future to be.)


“Maybe mistakes are what make our fate...without them what would shape our lives? Maybe if we had never veered off course we wouldn't fall in love, have babies, or be who we are. After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart...and if you're lucky...a plane ride away." - Carrie

The last day on earth

Look down,
The ground below is crumbling.
Look up,
The stars are all exploding.

It's the last day on earth,
In my dreams, in my dreams,
It's the end of the world,
And you've come back to me.
In my dreams.

Between,
The dust and the debris.
There's a light,
Surrounding you and me.

In my head I replay our conversations,
Over and over 'til they feel like hallucinations,
You know me, I love to lose my mind.
And everytime anybody speaks your name,
I still feel the same, I ache, I ache, I ache inside.

When we were young...

Well, my three-week family getaway already feels like it happened in another lifetime. Oh how I miss you all who're over there, oceans away!

Whenever I'm back "home", one of my favourite things to do is to go through all our family albums. Doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, it's a ritual I treasure: perusing those black and white pictures of my parents' dates, their wedding, our family trips...or the precious pictures of my brother and me - me always playing tricks on him, with our many cousins now scattered in every continent. I wish I could remember ALL those wonderful moments...

We had a happy childhood, we were happy kids, still are...We always had cheeky grins and were up to some mischief. But there was something simpler back in the day...we were content with playing marbles, "titine" (tiny cloth bags packed with rice) or in my case, playing soccer with the guys and being deliberately smashed all over. Yes, I was always the goalie. Until I proved I could dribble and shoot penalties. Ha!

There's something special about growing up alongside your cousins. You get to have more siblings than you truly do. And the bonds that you create in your childhood, neither the years nor the distance can break.

It's a pity all our kids (one day for some maybe hehe) won't grow up together like we do...but they'll hopefully listen to our stories and learn something from it, something like...family matters. A lot.

LCPL sisterhood

During my transit in London on my way home last weekend, I met up with an old friend from high school, whom I haven't seen in almost 10 years.

We spent half a day together, catching up and hanging out around London (I've fallen in love with London a 3rd time!). However long it may have been since we last met, we were completely in tune and catching up was so smooth it made me realize that there definitely is something special about being an ex-Loreto Convent girl. Nothing like some good old Loreto spirit to make you feel welcome anytime.

Many of us, LCPL girls, have managed to keep in touch over the years (and especially since Facebook has entered the scene) and it's comforting to see that no matter where we are, who we are, and who we've become, the LCPL sisterhood is really like this big family shelter where we can reminisce and summon our old carefree selves.

It's good to be home.

When disaster strikes...

In the wake of the apocalyptic earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, states and organizations worldwide are rushing to aid the victims. With a yet unknown death toll, the images speak for themselves: a devastated city in rubble, bodies crushed under the debris, destroyed homes and lifeless people wandering, the light gone from their eyes, amidst an air that must reek of death and despair. Hell on earth in every possible way.

How do survivors and families of the victims go on? How do survivors come back from among the dead?

As international aid is dispatched to Haiti, people are being called upon to help the victims by making donations. If you can afford to be generous, don't hold back. After all, aren't we all citizens of the world and children of the earth? By now, we've seen it enough to know that natural disasters are unpredictable and that we are all vulnerable.

During my university years, I was really good friends with Maelle, this sweet and beautiful Haitian girl. We used to hang out a lot, studying together and just being silly. Sometimes we'd bring out our respective Creole for fun. We even pulled some all-nighters before exams, studying for Macro and Micro Econ and taking Compa and Sega breaks every once in a while. Last I saw her was over two years ago and we haven't been in touch since. She had always wanted to go back to Haiti to get married. Tried to trace her but to no avail: an out-of-service Montreal number and an old deactivated e-mail account.

Major crises snap us awake, in more ways than not.
For my part, until the next time I run into her on the street (and I really hope I do someday), the question will always remain: "did you ever go back or are you still around, old friend?" I pray she and her family are ok...

Proud to be Hakka

The Chinese-Mauritian community is made up of two sub-groups: the Cantonese and the Hakka (which means "guest people"). The Hakkas are descendants of the Han Dynasty (circa 202 BC). Throughout history, the Hakkas have been known as the nomadic Chinese, fleeing the northern part of China down south and to countries such as Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Jamaica, South Africa and...Mauritius - among others.

I remember, growing up with my paternal grandparents, how it was always an emotional experience whenever my popo and kungkung (grandma and grandpa) would tell stories of how they survived in China, how they met, why they fled and what it was like to start from scratch in a country where everything was foreign, from the language to the people. Because the Hakkas are also typically a hardworking people, they've battled many challenges and made sacrifices which children today would have trouble picturing. It's a pity that the younger Hakka generation (e.g. my brother and me) are still very much in the dark when it comes to our ancestral roots, even though we were lucky to have somewhat grasped the language thanks to our folks. In our own way, we kind of embrace our Hakka values, having moved from Mauritius to Montreal. Maintaining the traditions and saving the language is another story altogether.

I've been to Meixian once with my parents to visit my grandparents' village and meet our relatives. I was 10 back then and only have vague, trivial memories of that trip. Today, to embark on such a trip would be to undertake a personally enriching journey to the roots of the Hakka culture.

Take a look at this video (that's just part 1 of 4) of the Hakka Conference and find out more about the rich history of the Hakka people worldwide, "a people with great survival skills".

PS: Thanks for sharing M.Li.

MA(u)R(i)TIANS in Montreal's Gazette

I was pleasantly surprised when a dear colleague of mine mentioned on Tuesday that the Gazette had published an article on Mauritius, my sweet paradise island, the previous day. Of course, anything on Mauritius is worth reading. What's more, it describes the mix of cultures, languages and how Mauritians in general manage speaking Creole, French, English and other languages and dialects (Hindi, Bhojpuri, Hakka, Cantonese, Urdu, Arabic, etc.) on a daily basis.

To many, the idea of a people speaking so many languages, is pretty much inconceivable. Yet that is exactly how it is... People often ask me how it is we, Mauritians, got to learn both languages so well. The thing is, we never really questioned it. It was all kind of automatic; the result of strong French and British colonial influence. At school, I remember how teachers would switch easily from Creole, to French to English in Math class without the students ever being confused. The author of the article seems to have lived the same experience:

"My mum, who had grown up in Mauritius, spoke perfect English, French, Creole and two dialects of Chinese - Hakka and Cantonese. In the small town of Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands, where we'd lived before moving back to her homeland, she might as well have been a Martian. Mauritius, as it turned out, was full of Martians.

The vast majority of Mauritians are educated in English at state-funded schools, a legacy of a century-and-a-half of British rule that preceded independence in the late 1960s. In my day, we studied mathematics, geography, science and the like from prim, old-school textbooks. Reading those tomes was to be transported to a distant era of received pronunciation and high standards."

If you want to know more about how we, Martians, sorry I mean Mauritians!, integrate languages in our daily lives, click on the link below. It's worth a read!

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/They+speaking+languages/2400789/story.html

Nothing to lose sleep over

I watched The Time Traveler's Wife two days ago. Sure, it doesn't compare to the book, which three and a half years ago, came close to being one of the best books I'd ever read. But I was awake in bed at 4 A.M. that night after watching the movie. Thank God we only resumed work today because quite frankly, staying up late thinking about souls and soul mates isn't exactly my idea of a fun night.

I've been told several times that I've an old soul, from people here and in Peru. If you don't know what it is, I suggest finding out. Old souls are believed to have had a soulmate kind of relationship in past lives or will do in their present life, among other supposed characteristics. And if everything that's being said is true...then soul mates, well they're not supposed to mate forever. An excerpt from Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (awesome book and the movie is -ha ha- coming out this year) goes:

"A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever. Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

This has me wonder...what about those old souls who DID meet their soul mates that eventually took flight? Do they then have to settle for something less than butterflies? Do they have to wait for the next life, the next meeting? Do they wander about with half a soul for the rest of their human lives?

Call me naive, call me stubborn, call me crazy, but I may just keep believing even if my twin soul would one day have departed for the beyond.

After all, life would be utterly boring without any soul searching...

And another one bites the dust!

It's 2010!!!

Happy 2010 to you...well to the 2-3 people who actually have time to read my blog.
At this time of the year; new resolutions are being made, new goals set and new passions being rediscovered.
Whatever yours are, I wish you success and happiness in making them come true.
As for me, I know myself enough to know that they rarely make it through the first quarter. I did set one this year though (it being a new decade and all), and hopefully I'll be able to write a one-year-later victory post.

On another note, here's a funny one from Mark Twain on resolutions (don't be discouraged :p):

Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took his last drink and swore his last oath. Today, we are a pious and exemplary community. Thirty days from now, we shall have cast our reformation to the winds and gone to cutting our ancient shortcomings considerably shorter than ever.

Cheers!

Clin d'oeil à La Réunion!

Un petit clip vidéo de la chanson Pou ou mamzel de Dominique Barret, en direct de notre "île soeur", La Réunion.
Chanson phare de l'été de quelle année déjà, Telle...2003? Le séga réunionnais ne bat en aucune manière, avouons-le, celui de l'île Maurice mais on sait tout de même l'apprécier à sa juste valeur.

Souvenirs de ce bel été à Maurice...un séjour inoubliable, des moments agréables de fous rires à Trou-aux-Biches avec mes deux "fofolles" adorées, Telle et Sand.

J'suis tombée par hasard sur cette chanson et, qui plus est, mon cousin (quasiment un frère) s'est marié aujourd'hui avec une réunionnaise. Un "Oté La Réunion" est donc de mise puisque c'est maintenant une île soeur dans le vrai sens du terme. Pour vous, Pas et Pris... :)

Avatar

Well, after over a week of trying, we finally made it to the long-awaited movie, Avatar, in 3D. And it was totally worth the wait and bucks. For someone who's not particularly tech-savvy, I was very impressed. I probably didn't pay as much attention to the type of images, sounds (ETC.!) as the guys did but I was definitely wowed by James Cameron's imagination and creativity. To invent this place called Pandora and to create the language and design the life form of its inhabitants, the Na'vis. On a different scale, it almost measures up to the likes of J.K. Rowling and J.R. Tolkien.

Granted, it's not everybody's cup of tea and maybe it's because les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas, all a question of tastes. But it could also be that as technology evolves, consumers' expectations rise and it's an increasingly tough job to impress us, movie aficionados.

It's not a white Christmas...

I had a thought yesterday. Are people losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas? I mean seriously. Christmas time gets more commercial every minute. It's not all about Christmas gifts...

Bah! Now's not the time to argue about that..It's Christmas, time to rejoice and have fun with the the dear ones!

Merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noel!
Feliz Navidad!